


The Tutor

by courtneyinthetardis



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Jughead renews freindships, Kidnapping, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-13 02:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11175537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtneyinthetardis/pseuds/courtneyinthetardis
Summary: Set in a universe in which Jason Blossom does not die, Jughead has isolated himself from everyone after a fall out with Archie. When his homelessness begins to take a toll on his school work, a determined Betty Cooper volunteers to give him a helping hand.





	1. Chapter 1

“I’m sorry Forsythe, but if your grade in this class doesn’t improve I’ll have no choice but to give you a failing grade,” Mrs. Chen informed him sympathetically. 

Jughead sighed, not bothering to correct her for the use of his real name. He hadn’t been surprised when she’d called after him before he could leave class that day, but he was surprised to see how bad his grade had actually gotten. For a while he had kept himself in line with her class but as the semester wore on and his living situation kept changing, he’d lost himself along the way. Jughead was a very intelligent young man, but history was not his favorite subject. He loved to read, but he didn’t like to be told what to read. Being in an AP English class he had a variety of noteworthy choices for his papers and projects, but history textbooks offered little choice. 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Chen, I guess I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten,” he admitted. He hung his head and tried not to meet her eyes. 

“Forsythe,” she addressed him, “is everything okay? At home, I mean. I don’t want to come off as a gossip but I heard your mother moved out with your little sister a few months ago. Are things alright with your father?”

Jughead tried to hide his panic at that question the best that he could. He knew one wrong answer would get him sent to a foster home for sure. “Things are great, Mrs. Chen. I mean, it’s been a bit of an adjustment, but we’re getting along just fine.”

She eyed him suspiciously. He knew she probably didn’t buy it but she had no further evidence to push forward with. She pulled her lips in tightly and exhaled through her nose loudly. “Alright. If you assure me there’s nothing wrong then there’s nothing wrong. But there has to be something going on for you to be so behind in this class.”

“I guess I’ve just been a little down since mom and Jellybean left,” it wasn’t a lie, but again it wasn’t the whole truth, “I’ve not felt as motivated.”

She nodded, “That’s understandable.”

“So, what can I do?” he asked; desperate to get off the subject of his family and home life. 

She went through her bag and pulled out a piece of paper with a long list of readings and assignments on it and slid it over to him. “These are the assignments I’m missing from you. We have three weeks until you take your test before Thanksgiving break. Normally I would take a considerable percentage from work turned in this late, but I’m willing to work with you given your familial situation and the fact that apart from missing class occasionally I’ve never had any trouble out of you. If you promise to work hard and get all of this to me, plus do well on your test, I can see your grade rising considerably by the end of the year. You have a lot of potential, Forsythe. Use it.”

He nodded aggressively, feeling especially grateful. He shoved the list into his backpack and scrambled from his desk. He was going to need a big, black coffee from Pop’s before even thinking about tackling this list. He’d gotten to the threshold of the door before his name was being called again. 

“Forsythe, maybe consider getting a tutor. Someone to help you muddle through the work. I know you’re more than capable of doing the work yourself, but given the time crunch, you may want someone to help you through it.”

‘Hard to have a guide when you have no one at all,’ he thought to himself sadly as he left the classroom and began to make his way towards Pop’s. 

_________________________________________

Betty Cooper had, had an exhausting day to say the least. If it wasn’t the baby drama surrounding Polly, it was the shrill voice of the HBIC of the River Vixens informing her that everything she’d done in practice was wrong. Betty could still hear Cheryl’s annoying voice in her head telling her, “lay of the fries, Cooper,” or “you could have stuck that landing more precisely.” Betty was especially grateful that Veronica was on the squad to be her support, but she had missed practice that day due to visiting her father in prison, so Betty was forced to fly solo today. 

Ignoring Cheryl’s order to stay away from fried foods, Betty walked herself down to Pop’s after practice, fully intending to order fries and a milkshake to dip them in. She walked in, little bell chiming behind her, and looked around to see who occupied the place this evening. There were a few boys on the football team that Betty had no intention of interacting with to the left of the shop, and on the other end was Jughead Jones, complete with a large black coffee and trademark crown beanie. Ding, ding, ding: winner. She charged happily towards his booth, secretly afraid he’d refuse her company. Ever since his falling out with Archie he had isolated himself and in turn, shut her out. It’s as if he’d assumed she’d leave him behind just because Archie did. The thought was insulting but the more she thought about it the more it probably made sense to him; even though she’d never give up their friendship for Archie. 

“Hey there stranger,” she greeted in a chipper tone. 

He didn’t look at her immediately. He stared a sheet of paper laying on the table a few more seconds before acknowledging she’d said anything at all. 

“Betty,” he said in a monotoned voice. 

She frowned, “Mind if I sit?”

His face didn’t change but she was sure he was confused. His vision flicked to the seat opposite of him before shrugging, “Go ahead.” 

She flashed him her award-winning Cooper smile before sitting across from him. A waitress came by as soon as she sat to take her order and she thanked her as she left them. Jughead didn’t say anything as the two of them sat in silence. She knew that he knew she was staring. His flannel shirt was wrinkled and his hair was in disarray. The purple hued circles under his eyes spoke in volume; he hadn’t slept through the night in a while. She bit nervously at her lower lip as she pondered how to address the topic but the courage wouldn’t muster. She wanted to know, but she also didn’t want to push him away. 

“What are you working on, Jughead?” she asked.

“Just some stuff for Mrs. Chen’s class,” he mumbled, taking a large gulp of his coffee.

“Mrs. Chen? But, we don’t have homework in there tonight, do we?” She pulled her planner out of her bag in a flash to double check but saw nothing written about an assignment. 

He sat the paper down and looked at her, “You don’t, I do.”

“What is it?” she asked, scooting the paper closer to her. On the paper was a rather large list of readings and assignments. He snatched it from her quickly; clearly embarrassed.  
“Juggie, that’s a lot of work.” 

He sighed, “So I’m a little behind. It’s no big deal. Mrs. Chen said I have a few weeks to get it all in.”

“A few weeks? Jughead, you have six other classes, three of them are AP. How can you say this isn’t a big deal?” 

“Keeping up with my schedule, Cooper?” he asked. She was relieved to see that he allowed her a smirk to accompany his snark. 

She snorted, “We all have seven classes and I’m in all of your AP classes.”

He raised an eyebrow, “So you are stalking me?”

She tilted her head and grinned playfully, “Yes. In fact, I followed you here tonight.”

“I knew it,” he retorted. 

She laughed and was pleased to see an actual smile grace his face. She hadn’t seen him smile in months. “Juggie, why are you so behind?”

“Is this an interrogation?”

“Maybe?”

He shut his laptop and folded his arms in front of him. “Head’s not been in the right place. But I’m getting back on track.”

She knew that there was a lot more to the story but she decided tonight was not the time to push him; she’d just got him talking to her again. She’d texted him multiple times during the summer and the months that followed to either receive an excuse not to meet, a one word response, or no response at all. Despite what she assumed he’d thought, she cared about him just as much as she did Archie. It broke her heart to have him shut her out. 

Betty suddenly got an idea. She had no idea if it would work or not, but she sure as hell was willing to give it a shot. Besides, all he could say was no. 

“I have a 102 in Mrs. Chen’s class,” she announced; much louder than she’d intended. Some of the football players who sat on the opposite side of Pop’s snickered. She could fill her cheeks heat and tinge pink with embarrassment. She slid down in her seat a little and waited for Jughead’s response. 

“Congratulations?” he said; missing her point completely. 

She exhaled loudly and sat back up again, “I wasn’t bragging, Juggie, I was trying to say that if you need a little help studying, managing your assignments, and organizing your thoughts, then I’m your girl.”

He just kind of looked at her as if she’d told him something bizarre. When he didn’t say anything, she spoke again.

“I know you’re a writer and you work alone and all that, but everyone needs a helping hand sometimes. Let me be this for you. Please.”

“So, you’re saying you want to be my,” he paused, “tutor?”

“No,” she shook her head, “and yes, I suppose. What I’m trying to say is that I want to be your friend. Because I miss you, Jughead.” She looked down at the scars on palms and added, “If you’ll have me.” 

She dared herself to look back up at him again. 

“Alright,” he agreed.

She rose both eyebrows at his quick agreement, “Really? Just like that? You’re not going to be all broody and pause for dramatic effect and make me work for it a little bit?” 

He shot her an exasperated look, “Did you want to work for it? Cause this is a twenty-four-hour diner.” 

“No, no!” she assured him, “This is good.”

“Your milkshake and fries, sweetie,” the waitress confirmed as she lay the plate and shake in front of Betty.

“Thanks Darla,” Betty answered sweetly. 

Suddenly turning her attention back to the boy across from her she began to let her thoughts run wild, “Okay, so I’m thinking that we need to begin working on a study schedule and align each assignment accordingly,” Betty started in an excited tone.

“Why do I have a feeling I’m going to regret this?” he asked as he plucked a fry off of her plate and dipped it in her shake.

“You won’t,” Betty said, her face determined, “And get your own shake, buddy!”


	2. Chapter 2

Betty rolled the Adderall bottle between her palms, focused intensely on the label peeling near the corner where she’d picked at it. Focus. This word was a common theme in her life. It was her mother’s end goal for her: stay focused, be the best, win at life. How could someone possibly live up to that? So many expectations, so little time to meet them. The Vixens were taking a quick breather before doing their final round of practicing for the cheer competition that would be taking place before Christmas Break next month. 

Tossing her pill bottle back into her bag she gulped down half of her sports drink and shut her eyes tightly while learning the back of her head against the cool wall. She was tired, so very, very tired. But she knew she could not rest until after her first study session with Jughead tonight. She couldn’t let him down; especially since she’d made such a case to him about it in the first place. Betty Cooper was a lot of things, and a quitter wasn’t one of them. 

“You alright, Betty?” Veronica called out to her as she entered the locker room. 

Betty slowly opened her eyes to greet her friend. She’d skipped out on school that day but managed to make it to Vixen practice after returning from New York. Visiting her father was not a simple task for her so she left and returned as quickly as possible each time. Betty knew that Veronica was torn between thinking her father was something vile while also struggling to see the man that had raised her in such a condition; she hated to see her so sad. 

“Yeah,” she partially lied, “how was New York? How was your dad?”

“New York was,” she paused and waved her hand dramatically in front of her, “New York. Always changing but never different at the same time. Daddy is fine. He’s displaying a generous amount of optimism for a man in his position. I don’t believe him, of course.”

“Of course,” Betty repeated. 

“B,” Veronica plopped down beside of her, placing a hand on Betty’s knee and shaking it playfully, “seriously, what’s going on? You look like a zombie.”

“Just a little tired is all,” she told her, turning fully to face her, “I’ll go to bed as soon as Jughead leaves tonight. That should give me plenty of time to rest.”

Veronica’s face lit up in the way that Betty hated; the look of a lioness hunting her prey. “Woah, woah, woah. Jughead? Jughead Jones is coming to your house tonight?”

Betty nodded, “We’ve been friends forever, V. You know that. He just needs a tutor for Mrs. Chen’s class; I offered.”

“Oohh,” she cooed in response, “a tutor, of course. Never mind the fact that he has that rebellious, loner vibe that automatically makes him a little hot.” 

“Veronica,” Betty rolled her eyes, “be serious. This isn’t a late-night booty call, it’s me helping Jughead get caught up.”

Veronica bit her bottom lip mischievously, “Throw on a leather jacket and some shades and he’d have the whole package. He honestly should just let me dress him,” she clapped her hands together gleefully, “do you think he’d agree to that?”

“I’m gonna go with no,” Betty laughed.

Veronica smirked, “Yeah. You’re probably right. Why is he so behind, anyway?” she asked, “Actually, where has he been the past month? He hardly missed when I first got here but lately…” she trailed off and looked at Betty expectantly. 

Betty frowned and shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know, he wouldn’t tell me. He used to tell me everything, V. I’m worried about him.” 

Before Veronica could offer any words of advice Cheryl’s voice could be heard from the gymnasium calling the squad back in for practice. Betty took Veronica’s offered hands as she went to stand up. 

“Wait,” Veronica said, halting herself and Betty, “he’s coming to your house to study? Does he know about what’s going on at your house?”

“No,” Betty answered, “he’s been dodging my attempts to communicate with him for months. Apart from Polly being pregnant, I suppose he doesn’t know much else.”

“Well,” Veronica said as she began pulling Betty along again, “guess he’ll find out tonight.” 

 

________________________________________________

Jughead studied what was left of the note he’d left upon the drive in. Construction had been temporarily stalled due to Fred Andrew’s negotiation with the new anonymous buyers of the land. He could still see the bottom half of, “wuz” and his crown, and the word, “here” remained completely visible. He sat his backpack on the ground and leaned against the brick; allowing himself to close his eyes and enjoy the complete silence that surrounded him.

“Are you sleeping standing up now?” a familiar voice broke his tranquility.

‘Not today,’ he thought. He cracked an eye open to look at the source of his disturbance. FP Jones stood before him, clad in a worn Serpents jacket, hair feral and beard kept short. He stood tall, crossed armed with a knowing grin. Jughead felt an unexplainable need to smack that grin off his face. 

“You know teenagers, dad,” he said dryly, “always into the crazy fads.” 

FP took a few steps closer to him, “How have you been?” 

“Peachy,” he answered sarcastically. 

“You look tired, Jughead.”

“Notice that one all on your own, did you?” he shot back. 

“I don’t understand why you’re so mad at me,” FP retorted, “I’m not the parent who abandoned you, you know. I’m right here.”

The words stung Jughead but he didn’t allow his father to see that. He mirrored FP’s stance: shoulders squared, arms crossed, and a knowing grin on his face. “And look how well that seems to be going for us.”

“I didn’t tell you to move out.”

“And I didn’t tell you to pick up a bottle, so it looks as though we’ve reached an impasse at this point.”

“It’s starting to colder, Jughead,” FP’s posture softened, as did his face, “I don’t like thinking you might be out there with no shelter. I think that it’s time we both swallow our pride and for you to come home. I want to make this work, Jughead. I honestly do.”

“What are you gonna do? Get off the sauce? Find a job?” Jughead fired questions at FP, one right after the other, “do whatever it takes to get mom and Jellybean home?”

“I’ll do what it takes, Jughead,” he reassured him, “whatever it takes to earn your trust back; to earn your mother and sister’s trust back. Want me to give up alcohol? Fine. Want me to find a job? I’ll find work, I always do. If you come home, we can make it a home again. We can show your mom that this is where she and Jellybean belong. If you just give me one more chance, I swear I’ll make it right.” 

Jughead believe that FP was being genuine, but he wasn’t sure that FP could stick to such a promise. He’d been sleeping at the drive-in until it shut down weeks prior and now he was staying in Mr. Peterson’s garage. Mr. Peterson was a janitor who worked at the school. He’d caught him squatting and offered him a spot in his overcrowded garage. He was grateful for the use of the man’s shower and a roof over his head, but it was cramped and altogether less than ideal. After a moment’s thought, he came to a decision. “It’s not time for me to come home yet,” he told him, “but if you promise me you’re going to try harder and lay off the alcohol,” he sighed loudly, “I’m willing to try moving back in by Christmas break.”

FP nodded gruffly but didn’t say anything.

“Do we have a deal, dad?” Jughead cautiously offered his hand out to his father to make the agreement. It shocked him when FP took it forcefully, practically shaking his arm out of its socket. Despite wanting to remain stone-faced and indifferent, Jughead could feel a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and FP began to smile too. 

“So, I take it you have a place to stay right now?” FP asked, letting go of Jughead’s hand. 

He nodded, “It’s not much, but it’s working for now.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” 

An alarm sounded on Jughead’s phone to alert him that River Vixen practice was over and it was time to go meet Betty for their firs study session. He dug the phone out of his pocket and placed it on silent. 

“Got a date or something?” FP asked suggestively.

Jughead snorted, “Hardly. I’m having a study session for history with Betty Cooper.”

“Betty?” FP asked, “Archie’s little girlfriend?” 

“No, they’re not dating. He’s dating Valarie. She’s in Josie’s band,” he explained. 

“So, Betty is single, huh?” FP asked in a teasing tone. 

“Don’t start,” Jughead groaned, picking up his backpack and attempting to walk past his dad.

“Why not? You’re single, she’s single. What’s the problem?”

“I’m not exactly her type, besides we’re just friends,” he explained. Upon saying this he suddenly felt a twinge of something, but he just shook it off. Weird. 

“What’s her type, then?”

“She’s the girl next door. She’ll end up with the boy next door. Sure, Valarie and Archie are together now, but he’ll change his mind one day and he and Betty will get married and have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence in the suburbs.”

“You seem awfully certain about that,” FP laughed.

“Betty and Archie are end game,” he quoted Kevin Keller sarcastically as he walked away.

“End game, what does that mean?” FP called out to him.

“Just something us teenagers say!”

“Whatever you say, son!” he vaguely heard FP say as he was almost out of sight from the drive in. Jughead reflected on his mini reunion with his father and what that could mean for his future. Though FP had let him down in the past, he couldn’t help but keep hoping he’d one day get his act together and reunite their family. Maybe giving living with him another shot at the end of the year would be the first step in accomplishing that dream. He decided not to dwell on the conversation that he had, had about Betty Cooper. Secretly he had always worried that the pure and perfect Betty would one day realize that she was too good to be his friend. Still, the disappointment he had felt when he’d told FP he wasn’t Betty’s type lingered in his mind the whole trek to the Cooper’s household, which was weird, because why should he care?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Just a few things I wanted to say before you read the next chapter! First and foremost, thank you for the kind reviews and kudos, I greatly appreciate them. Secondly, this story is probably going to be a lot longer than I had originally anticipated. It was intended to be a shorter, lighthearted story, but those darn plots just kept coming to me. This will be a slow burn story, Bughead wise. Also, I wanted to take time to give depth to some friendships I would love to see develop in the actual show one day. I'd like Jughead to be able to feel close to some of these people because I adore the dynamics that could come about. Again, thank you so much for the continued support. Much love, everyone.

Nostalgia, a word defined as a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past. This was an ongoing theme in the life of Jughead Jones, and the feeling hit him like a ton of bricks as he approached the Cooper’s walkway. All he had to do was slightly turn his neck to see the Andrew’s household, the house that had basically started everything. He and Archie had been friends through their dads practically since birth, but it wasn’t until Jughead was 6 years old that he spent the night at the Andrew’s for the first time. 

Apart from Archie, Jughead had no friends to speak of. It was during his first ever sleepover that he had met Betty Cooper. She was all pink and frills and sunshine and Jughead didn’t understand her at all. His initial plan was to avoid her as much as possible until she went home, but as the night wore on, it became apparent that she wasn’t going anywhere. She chattered on aimlessly about this and that and Jughead honestly didn’t know what to make of her; he’d never met anyone that had this much to say. Archie, on the other hand, had spent the entire evening pushing the two of them together in his attempts to make them the Three Musketeers. Jughead thought the plan pointless until Betty opened her pony backpack and presented him with a giant bag of cookies.

_“Juggie,” she’d addressed him with a large grin, offering the baggie to him, “my mom and I made you these. Archie said this is your first sleepover and you like food.”_

__

_Jughead took them hesitantly, eyeing her suspiciously. He unzipped the zip lock and popped a cookie into his mouth; it was the best cookie he’d ever had in his life. He scarfed down two more._

__

__

_“These are great,” he’d told her._

__

__

__

_She blushed and lit up with pride, “My mom puts extra chocolate chips in it,” she looked around as if someone were listening in on their conversation, “that’s the secret,” she finished with a whisper._

____

__

____

_He gave her a small grin and offered a cookie to her and Archie, who graciously took them. After, they’d decided to build a fortress in the living room and watch a movie: The Wizard of Oz. Archie fell asleep as soon as Dorothy and her companions met up with the Lion, which gave Betty and Jughead an opportunity to get to know one another. Despite her entire outfit being dripped in pink, Betty’s favorite color, Jughead found out, was green. Jughead had revealed the embarrassing story of how he lost one of his front teeth and Betty excitedly explained a huge bruise running along her left leg. They chatted until Dorothy had returned to the black and white world of Kansas. Jughead, noticing Betty had been quiet for quite some time, looked over to find she had drifted off. Looking at his two companions snoozing soundly, he decided to lay down beside of them and let his own eyes droop and be lolled to sleep by the ending credits._

____

He allowed himself to be temporarily comforted by the memory of what began a rather lengthy chapter in his life. After Archie had introduced him to Betty, Betty had introduced him to Kevin and Ethel. Despite still not exactly “fitting in” at school, he had an awesome group of people who accepted him just the way that he was. But, at the end of his freshman year, it became all too apparent that the life he was accustomed to was about to be snatched up from under him. 

____

Things at home were escalating at an alarming rate. His parent’s fights were becoming more frequent; more heated. He spent a large chunk of his time keeping Jellybean distracted from the chaos that had become their life. Archie, with his sparkling personality and athletic abilities joined the football team and was cast under the spell of Reggie and his goonies. Suddenly he had less time to spend with Jughead. Betty, totally enamored with Archie didn’t seem to notice the rift that had occurred in their inner circle. She was preoccupied with extracurriculars and internships. But, to her credit, she did attempt to communicate with him frequently; it was him who’d shut her out. He’d assumed she would eventually choose Archie over him in the end. He and Kevin had never been “close-close” but their friendship had frozen because Kevin was Betty’s friend more than anyone else’s. And Ethel, well, she sort of separated herself from them; all of them. She seemed sad. He’d heard something about her family and her dad being in trouble, but he hadn’t the heart to ask even though he knows he should. 

____

“Jason! Wait, come back here!” a strained voice called directly in front of him. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even hear the front door being flung open and Jason Blossom storming out. The look on his face would be best described as “stone like”. He lightly bumped Jughead’s shoulder as he passed him. Jughead heard him mumble, “sorry, man,” as he stomped by quickly. 

____

Jason Blossom. Riverdale’s star football player and heartthrob. Jughead had never had a direct conversation with the red-head but he had, had enough run-ins with his fire-y twin that he felt he’d had enough interaction with that family to last a lifetime. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but he wasn’t a horrible guy. 

____

“Jughead,” he was called to attention by a very pregnant Polly Cooper standing in the doorway. Her eyes were red-rimmed and it was obvious that she had been crying. She’d barely been showing the last time he’d seen her and looking at her now it was all starting to become real: Polly was going to be a mother. Even though Polly was only a grade ahead of them she always seemed like she was light years away. She didn’t often play with he, Betty, and Archie’s little group, but when she did she always wanted to play house. She was the mommy and they were her children. Jughead wasn’t sure how he’d let himself get roped into the game but he had a feeling it was due to his inability to say no to a Cooper sister. They’re eyes genuine and kind; he’d feel like a jerk for saying no.

____

“Polly,” he breathed.

____

She gave him a watery smile, trying to mask the pain of whatever her fight with Jason was about. “Come on in,” she waved enthusiastically, her voice slightly wavered, “Betty told me you were coming over.” 

____

His feet carried him but he felt as if he were walking a snail’s pace. He hadn’t set foot in the Cooper household since childhood as Mrs. Cooper terrified him, so a wave of uneasiness passed through him as he approached the threshold. He felt a hand lightly touch his back to encourage him to fully step in and he followed its direction. It appeared that Betty had not yet returned from practice and Jughead cautiously listened for one of her parents to be lurking about. 

____

“They’re not home” Polly assured as she walked around to face him, hand lightly tracing over her bump, “how are you? I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

____

Jughead, feeling slightly awkward, cleared his throat and averted his gaze from her pregnant stomach. “I’m alright,” he finally answered. He looked up to see her give him a look of disbelief but she didn’t push him. “Are you,” he searched for the words to say. He wasn’t exactly a skilled communicator; especially in delicate situations. No room for sardonic humor here. “Are you doing alright?” he asked her. 

____

She smiled ruefully, “What do you think?”

____

“Right,” he shifted awkwardly under her gaze, “stupid question.” 

____

She let out a small chuckle, relieving some of the tension he was feeling. “No need to tiptoe around me, Jughead. Don’t forget I was here for the bowl-hair cut years: yours and mine.” 

____

He couldn’t help but crack a toothy grin, “At least I had my beanie to help hide it.”

____

She eyed the kitchen and then turned her attention back to him. “Let me fix you something!” she clapped her hands together and brought them to her chest. It was an action that reminded Jughead of Betty. “If there’s one thing I know about Jughead Jones it’s that he loves to eat.”

____

“You really don’t have to,” he protested, “I can pick something up at Pop’s after I get done studying with Betty.” He regretted that he had arrived when he did. Polly was obviously still upset over whatever led to Jason fleeing the Cooper household just mere minutes before. He knew that Polly was looking for a distraction to keep her feelings in check and he felt guilty that she was forced to play hostess. 

____

She cocked an eyebrow at him, “I insist.”

____

He sighed, relenting, “Well, only if you insist.” 

____

__________________________

____

There were many things Betty Cooper had witnessed when she had returned home after a long day of school and extracurriculars, but seeing her friend, Jughead Jones sitting over a dinner of hotdogs and crinkle cut fries with her sister Polly as she showed him sonography photos was a new experience altogether.

____

“Hello?” she asked more than greeted. 

____

“Betty!” Polly beamed at her as she crunched on a fry.

____

“What’s all this?” Betty asked, amused by the scene before her. 

____

“Oh, you know,” Jughead answered in a sarcastic tone, “just your typical Tuesday night, eating an entire bag of crinkle cut fries and looking at photographs of developing babies.” 

____

Betty snorted in response, “Didn’t think babies were your scene, Jones.”

____

“It’s like we’ve never met, Cooper,” he deadpanned. 

____

“Jughead’s been keeping me company, so I offered to cook for him,” Polly informed her. 

____

“Where’s Jason?” Betty asked, suddenly realizing he wasn’t present, “I thought he was spending some time here tonight?”

____

Polly’s face paled almost instantly. “He had to go home.”

____

Polly got up to clear her plate and place it in the sink to be cleaned. Betty opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but when she looked at Jughead, she could clearly see him mouth, “no.” 

____

Getting the hint, she stalked across the kitchen to get a plate for some fries. She smiled a Polly in passing and she could see that her sister was attempting to keep a strong face for her benefit. She knew that this meant she wasn’t ready to discuss what had happened just yet. Quickly scooping what was left of the fries onto her plate she turned and addressed Jughead.

____

“Ready to start studying?”

____

He nodded and placed another hotdog onto his empty plate and followed her upstairs to her bedroom. 

____

“Are you sure it’s a good idea that we study up here?” she heard him ask as they entered her room.

____

“Why not?” she faced him.

____

“I don’t know,” he said airily, “aren’t you afraid a certain mother may skin me alive if she found out you and I were alone up here?” 

____

“She won’t find out, trust me,” Betty told him. 

____

It was his turn to give her a disbelieving look, “Yeah, definitely sounds like something someone says before they get caught doing something.”

____

Betty sat on her bed cross-legged and began fishing her flashcards out of the bag lying on the floor, “You can’t get caught when there’s no one around to catch you.”  
She could tell he was a bit nervous. He eyed the room, unsure of where to sit. She shook her head at him and motioned for him to sit at the foot of the bed. She scooted up towards the headboard to make room in between them for study materials. 

____

“What does that mean?” he asked her.

____

She handed him a highlighter and placed a textbook in front of him, “Things aren’t exactly going great around here,” she admitted. 

____

“With your mom?”

____

“With anyone.”

____

“Betts,” she looks up at him in surprise, he hasn’t called her that in a long time, “where are your parents?”

____

“Mom is at a women’s conference for journalism a few towns over and dad is,” she paused, saying it out loud still didn’t feel real, “gone.”

____

Jughead chewed on his lip slightly and she knew he was weighing out whether or not to ask her where he’d gone. It reminded her of when she’d told Ronnie her father had left; she’d had the same look. 

____

“He moved out not long after Polly found out she was pregnant. He hates Jason and the Blossoms so much that he said he wanted nothing to do with Polly, the babies, or anyone who supported her keeping them. So, mom told him not to let the door hit him on the way out. I’m not entirely sure where he is right now, but he calls me once a week. I try to tell him how Polly’s doing and he just shuts me down.” 

____

The room fell quiet after Betty had laid the truth out on the table. The Cooper’s, once viewed as Riverdale’s perfect family, with the high school sweetheart parents and the girl-next- door daughters, were now exposed for what they really were: broken. Betty had told exactly three people about the soap opera that was her family, now four. 

____

“I’m sorry, Betty,” Jughead practically whispered. “I really am. That’s,” he exhaled loudly, “that’s a lot.”

____

“Yeah,” she breathed. “But, we’ll get through it. We have to.”

____

“I have no doubt about that.”

____

“Thanks, Jughead,” she said with a slight smile and a tilt of her head, “so, the American Revolution! Well, we can’t get too ahead of ourselves, first we have to discuss the events building up to the movement.”

____

“I think you’re enjoying my misery way too much.”

____

She answered him by throwing a pen at his head; she didn’t miss.

____


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for taking so long with the update! I've had some stuff going on and it's caused me to be lazy. I'm so thankful for all the positive feedback. I really hope you enjoy this chapter! This is a Bughead story but Jughead rekindling and forming new friendships is also a huge part of my vision for where this goes so I hope you don't mind. Again, thank you for the continuing support.   
> -Court

It was believed by Betty that hot chocolate with three, comically large marshmallows, was the cure to all that ailed you. This is why, after Jughead’s recent departure, Betty was balancing two mugs of the liquid magic carefully up the staircase with Polly’s room as her intended destination. She knew by the look on Polly’s face that she had needed space to mull over whatever it was about Jason that was upsetting her, but she also knew that she would never be able to sleep tonight if she didn’t check on her before bed. Between discussing American history and having a heart to heart with her childhood friend, Betty used her spare moments to worry about her sister. 

“Polly,” Betty called out from the opposite side of the door, “I’d open the door myself but I’m out of hands.” 

Betty could hear slight shuffling coming from the room and in less than a minute the door was opened. Polly stepped back so that her sister could enter the room and then took her place back on the bed. After placing their drinks on the bedside table, Betty joined her sister from the other side. 

“Did Jughead like his food?” Polly asked; tiptoeing around the reason she knew Betty was here for. 

Betty could see from the corner of her eye that Polly was picking nervously at the frills that covered her bedspread. She remembered the day their mother had bought that bedroom set for Polly and how much Polly hated it. She normally would call her mother out on such things but they had both seen how much Alice had genuinely loved it so she vowed to never say a word. It was evident how much abuse the duvet had taken by the drawn-out strings on almost every frill that covered the fabric. 

“Of course he did,” Betty gave her a knowing, side-ways glance, “but you know he’d eat anything.”

Polly’s head shot up from her distraction to look at Betty with faux hurt, “Was that an insult on my cooking abilities?” 

Betty couldn’t hide the smirk growing on her face, “Never,” her left hand clutched her chest dramatically.

Polly picked up one of the decorative throw pillows that had been discarded to the side and lightly whacked Betty in the face with it, “I’ll have you know that it takes incredible skill to bake store bought fries.” She gave Betty a second whack for good measure.

Betty put her hands in surrender, “You’re right, you’re right. I was wrong for ever doubting you. I’m sorry that the kitchen fire you started last summer and the cookies you baked last week that could double as book ends clouded my judgement.” 

The sisters soon dissolved into a fit of giggles. Betty covered her face with her hands as tears threatened to form from her laughter. Polly truly was and probably would always be a horrendous cook. Their father always said that she could burn ice. Once Betty had begun to calm down, she noticed that Polly’s laugh could no longer be heard. Peeking up from her palms she saw that Polly’s laughs had turned to tears; and they weren’t tears of joy. 

“Oh Polly,” Betty lunged forward to wrap her arms around her sister’s back and pulled her to her chest. “Polly, what happened with Jason tonight?”

“They’re bad people, Betty,” Polly’s words were muffled as her face was pressed against Betty’s chest. Betty could feel her shirt being soaked with tears and saliva; she couldn’t care less. 

“Who, Polly? What people?”

“The Blossoms,” Polly breathed. 

Betty felt as breathless as Polly sounded, “What did they do? Is this about the babies?”

Polly shifted so that she was now being cradled by Betty. Her hair stuck to her tear soaked face and she looked in danger of forming fresh tears. “No, it’s not the babies.”

“Then what is it?” 

“Jason’s dad has been,” she paused for a moment and shook her head in disgust, “grooming him.”

“Grooming him,” Betty parroted.

“To be the next in line for the family business. Jason won’t tell me what his father’s been doing but I know for a fact it turns his stomach. I’ve never seen him so livid about anything, Betty.”

“I don’t,” Betty swallowed hard, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand what he could be so upset about. Their family sells maple syrup.” 

“I wish I could tell you but all Jason does is pace the floor and talk about how he wants us to run away together. He wants nothing to do with his parents or their money. I suspect if it weren’t for Cheryl and me he would have left a long time ago.”

“Run away? He’s a seventeen-year-old, high school junior. Where on Earth could he go?” 

“He knows a guy….” 

Betty’s narrowed her eyes and waited for Polly to continue, “Uh huh.”

“He owns a farm and some land a few counties over. He said he could offer him a good price for it.”

“And you would go with him? To this farm?”

“Betty, it’s just an idea,” she shrugged, “Jason has an allowance, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to cover what the guy is asking. Plus, Penelope monitors his spending. If he pulled all of his money she’d suspect something.” 

“What was the fight about, Polly?”

She sighed heavily, “He told me he was considering doing some less than legal one-offs to save so we could leave. I told him I thought it was too dangerous and we needed to find some other way.”

“This is intense, Poll,” Betty reached down with one hand to brush the hair away from Polly’s face.

“Betty,” Polly’s eyes were serious and once again teary, “I just don’t know what to do. Jason is terrified of his parents, he says he’s not but I know he is. I can see it. I’m only seventeen years old and I’m pregnant with twins. It’s all so much,” her voice wavered, “it’s too much.”

Betty pulled Polly to her again and held as tight as she could without squishing her completely. She knew that there was nothing she could say or do at this moment that would make this better, so she just held her sister close and let her cry until her body wouldn’t allow her to cry any longer. They spent a few more moments sharing whisperings of the unknown until Polly finally drifted off in her sister’s arms. 

Looking over at the alarm clock on Polly’s beside table Betty decided that she could leave her shower until the morning; she didn’t want to risk disrupting Polly’s slumber. Before Betty could close her eyes her cell phone began to vibrate wildly. After a few seconds of fiddling under the duvet she finally locates it to see that the source of its vibrating was an incoming phone call from her father. Betty looked between the ringing phone and her sleeping sister. She suddenly felt angry at him: angry that he’d disowned Polly, angry that he’d left and not fought for their family, and angry that he only called once a week. She hit end quickly and slung the phone in the floor in frustration. 

_______________________________________________

 

Though Jughead liked to learn, there was very little he liked about high school. Lunch, obviously, was the highlight of his day. He liked to sit alone in the empty gymnasium and alternate between eating and writing. He’d been blocked when it came to his writing for quite some time and most of what he did write he ended up deleting as though it had never existed. Riverdale, as it turns out, isn’t the most happening town to write about. Whenever he wasn’t at lunch, Jughead spent time in his classes. He obviously hated history, but he very much enjoyed his AP English class and his Creative Writing class. He especially loved that his Creative Writing period was right before lunch; two good things in a row before having to go to math. 

Today, however, was the day his status quo was changed. Jughead’s normal day in Creative Writing was spent sitting behind Ethel Muggs, with people he barely knew to his right and left. When Jughead had arrived to class the Wednesday following his tutoring session with Betty, he found Veronica Lodge, Riverdale’s very own socialite, sitting in the desk to his left. Had she always sat there?

“Jughead,” she greeted him in a chipper tone.

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, “Um, hey Veronica?”

“Hey,” she pivoted in her seat so that she was facing him, “how’s it going?”

He fidgeted with his pencil awkwardly, “It’s going fine.” _Lie._

“That’s good,” she flashed a pearly smile in his direction. Her approach, though seemingly genuine, felt like a trap.

“I’m sorry, but do you always sit in that seat?” he asked. 

“Oh,” she chuckled haughtily, “no, I just switched today.”

“Oh, okay,” he answered and faced forward, attempting to shake off the weirdness of their interaction. 

Ethel soon came into his line of vision. She had many outfits but she always looked generally the same: button-up collared shirt, cardigan, and skirt. As she approached her seat she gave him a small grin and he gave her a nod in return that he hoped didn’t appear rude. Despite her friendly demeanor she looked sad. His suspicions of something not being right with her only intensified. 

Their Creative Writing teacher, Mrs. Young, arrived not long after Ethel’s arrival. She began by taking attendance and then dove right in to their assignment for the day. The assignment was to, in any way you preferred, write about a strong feeling. Jughead could argue that most of his current feelings were strong and picking just one would be a difficult task, but the last thing he wanted to do was cause question about his home life. Jughead felt himself beginning to drift off as Mrs. Young tackled different approaches to the assignment when he heard his name being whispered to his left.

“Hey, Jughead,” Veronica whispered, eyes darting between himself and the teacher.

He turned his head to look at her, “What?”

“What are you doing at lunch?”

He clearly hadn’t heard her correctly.

“What?” he asked again. 

“I said,” she said, enunciating, “what are you doing at lunch?”

“Veronica Lodge and Jughead Jones!” The shrill, accusing tone of Mrs. Young echoed through the classroom and Jughead could feel the embarrassment rising. “I’m sorry, is my lecture disrupting your conversation?”

Before Jughead could fumble through an apology and let the Earth swallow him whole, Veronica came to his rescue, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Young. I was asking Jughead’s opinion on which writing approach I should take; I’m not confident in my writing and I was hoping to gain some insight with a second opinion. I promise it won’t happen again.” The smile she gave Mrs. Young was somehow sweet and diabolical; Jughead instantly knew she was definitely a Lodge. 

Mrs. Young eyed them both for a second before smacking her lips in a disapproving way, “See that it doesn’t, Veronica.”

The rest of the class seemed to pass by painfully slow. Veronica, true to her word, didn’t say another word for the rest of class. He and Veronica shared awkward glances with one another the whole time and Mrs. Young watched them like a hawk until the dismissal bell chimed. 

“Jughead,” Veronica said as soon as the bell rang, “wait, I’ll walk with you.” 

Jughead paused as he gathered his belongings to stare at her, “Walk with me?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, throwing her pen in her purse and gathering her notebooks in her arms. 

“Why?” he asked, throwing his own supplies in his backpack and slinging it over his shoulders. 

“I wanted to ask you to join us for lunch.”

“Us?”

“Me, Kevin, and Betty. Archie has this music thing with Grundy on Wednesday’s, so he won’t be there.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

She stood in front of his aisle of desks to stop him from getting away, “And why not?” 

“I have other things to do,” he insisted.

She scoffed, “Like what? Sit alone in the gym?”

He wanted to know how she knew what he did during lunch but decided not to ask; she seemed the type to have eyes everywhere. 

“Why do you want me to sit with you anyways? You’ve barely spoken to me since you moved here.”

“Because you’re Betty’s friend,” she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “and I know that you know what’s going on with her. You’re one of four people that know the whole story. That makes you pretty special.” 

“I don’t understand why that would make you want to ask me to join you for lunch.”

“If someone is special to my girl, then that someone is special to me. I want to get to know you better. That’s all. No jokes, no strings, just asking you what your favorite color is.” She smiled cheekily at him. 

He pondered, “I don’t know.”

She placed her hands on her hips, “How about this: have lunch with us today, give it a chance, and if you hate me you never have to sit with us again. Plus, I’ll buy you an extra serving of curly fries.” 

He gritted his teeth and balanced back and forth on the balls of his feet and the tips of his toes, “Ahhhhhh, alright I guess so,” he relented, “but we have to get extra ranch for the fries.” 

“Jughead Jones, I think this may be the start of a beautiful friendship,” she said.

He rolled his eyes at the cliché, but couldn’t stop the goofy, lop-sided grin that formed on his face.


End file.
